Protective shield connection for skull guards



March 17, 1953 c. E. BowERs 2,631,286

PROTECTIVE SHIELD CONNECTION FOR SKULL GUARDS Filed Nov. 14, 1950 Enventor C/mr/e; [Va/2; Boa/er;

I 4 I 2/ (Ittomeg Patented Mar. 17, 1953 PROTECTIVE SHIELD CONNECTION FOR SKULL GUARDS Charles Evans Bowers, Moylan, Pa., assignor to The Fibre-Metal Products Company, Chester, Pa... a corporation of Pennsylvania Application November 14, 1950, Serial No. 195,609

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to head-protective equipment and is concerned primarily with a detachable connection designed for the purpose of securing a face shield or mask in position on a skullguard.

At the present time safety hats of the type commonly known as skullguards are Worn by industrial workers. While such skullguards are needed just about all the time that a Worker is on the job, there are occasions when its protective effects must be supplemented by a face shield or mask. Thus, the face shield is ordinarily detachably secured to the skullguard.

In accordance with the now known combinations of this type the face shield is pivotally mounted on a pair of straps or extensions which extend upwardly across the sides of .the skullguard toward the top. In this position the elements of the detachable connection are exposed and unprotected wherein they are susceptible to being damaged by falling objects.

With this condition in mind, an important object of the present invention is to provide a combination face shield and skullguard in which the face shield is pivotally mounted on extensions which are detachably secured to the skullguard in protected positions. More in detail, the invention has in mind an arrangement in which the extensions extend forwardly along the lower edges of the skullguard in which positions they are protected by the .top piece of the face shield.

In providing a face shield which is intended to be detachably secured to a skullguard it is important that the connection between the two be secure and positive and yet at the same time readily and easily established by the workmen. Thus, a further object of the invention is to provide in a combination face shield and skullguard of the type indicated, a detachable connection which consists essentially of a pair of extension each of which is formed with a keyhole slot intermediate the ends thereof. A skullguard carries a pair of headed fastening elements which cooperate with these keyhole slots in a well known manner. The free end of each extension and the skullguard are provided with cooperating elements of a snap fastener which are brought into mating engagement after the headed fastening elements are positioned in these keyhole slots. It is obvious that a detachable connection of this type may be quickly assembled and yet affords a secure anchorage of the extensions on the skullguard.

Various other more detailed objects and advantages of the invention such as arise in connection with carrying out the above noted ideas in a practical embodiment will, in part become apparent, and in part be hereinafter stated as the description of the invention proceeds.

The invention, therefore, comprises a combination face shield and skullguard in which the face shield is pivotally mounted on extensions which when assembled on the 'skullguard assume protected positions extending forwardly along the lower edge of the skullguard. Each extension is provided with a keyhole slot intermediate the ends thereof and the skullguard is provided with a pair of headed fastening elements which cooperate with these keyhole slots. The free end of each extension and the skullguard are provided with complemental elements of a snap fastener.

For a full and complete understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following description and accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of the attaching means of the present invention showing the same removably attaching a headgear accessory to a headgear; and

Figure 2 is a view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1 and showing the novel attaching means.

Referring specifically to the drawing, wherein the same reference characters are used throughout the several views to designate the same or similar parts the numeral l designates a headgear or protective helmet or skullguard fabricated of a rigid material such as metal and the numeral 2 generally designates a protective shield. It is to be noted that an end 3 is the front of the headgear I and is adapted to be positioned over the forehead, while a bill 4 is adapted to be positioned over the back of the head.

The protective shield 2 comprises a U-shaped support 5 fabricated of translucent material and a visor 5 fabricated of transparent material and the visor t conforming to the configuration of the outer surface of the U-shaped support 5 and being secured to the U-shaped support 5 by grips or rivets or securing means I.

The novel detachable means for removably attaching the shield Z to the headgear I comprises a pair of connections at each of the free ends of the legs of the U-shaped support 5, thus, pivotally connecting the headgear to the headgear accessory for pivotal swinging movement about the detachable connections as an axis. Since these connections are identical only one will be described in detail. An elongated member 8 has one end pivotally connected to the free end of one of the legs of the U-shaped support 5 by a pivot pin 9.

The elongated member 8 is provided with an opening I9 intermediate the ends thereof, and this opening comprises an aperture II and a ongitudinally extending slot I2 extending from the bounding walls of the aperture II and in communication with the aperture II toward one end of the member 8. A securing element I3 is secured to the headgear I. This securing element I3 comprises a pin I4 having one end secured to the headgear I and a head I5 secured to the other end of the pin I4. The securing element I3 is smaller than the aperture II and the head I5 is adapted to be inserted through the aperture H and then the pin I4 is slid into the slot I2. An interengaging means I6 is carried by the other end of the elongated member 8 and by the adjacent portion of the outer surface of the headgear I. This interengaging means comprises a first fastener element I7 having a boss I3 projecting therefrom. A second fastener element I9 provided with a socket 2E therein is adapted to receive the boss I8 and thus to provide a snap fastener.

The mode of attaching a protective shield to a headgear will now be described, First, the pair of elongated members 8 on the free ends of the legs of the U-shaped support 5 are arranged in substantially parallel relation with respect to each other. Each of the elongated members 8 being held in a fixed position relative to the protective shield Z by a spring 2! surrounding the pivot pin 9 and having its ends bearing against washers 22 and 23. Thus, the spring 2I exerts enough pressure on the elongated member 8 and the adjacent portion of the U- shaped support 5 to prevent movement of the elongated member 8 about the pivot pin 9 except by force exerted by the hand of the user. Next, the head I5 of the securing element I3 is inserted through the aperture I I and then the pin it is slid in the slot I2 to the end of said slot remote from the aperture II. Next, the fastener element I9 is snapped over the boss I8 of the fastener element H.

To remove the protective shield 2 from the headgear I the fastening elements [1 and I9 are first disengaged and then the securing element 53 is slid toward the aperture I I and removed through the aperture I I, thus, removing the protective shield 2 from the headgear I.

4 The above description hereinbefore set forth is merely the best mode of practicing the present invention, as there are many modifications and slight deviations still within the spirit and scope of the present invention which are too numerous to mention. It is the applicants intention to include every modification and deviation of the present invention that is Within the length, breadth, and scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In combination, a skullguard of generally domelike shape terminating in a circular edge, adapted to encircle a Wearers head, an element of a snap fastener on each side of said skullguard and spaced from said edge, a headed pin on each side of said skullguard spaced from the snap fastener element on that side, and from said edge the same distance as said snap fastener element, a pair of elongated connecting members arranged so that there is one on each side of said skullguard, each of said connecting members carrying at one end a snap fastener element complemental to that on said skullguard and interlocked therewith, each connecting member being formed with a keyhole slot intermediate its ends and receiving the headed pin on that side of the skullguard whereby said connecting members are arranged substantially parallel to said edge, and a face shield pivotally connected between the ends of said connecting members remote from said snap fastener elements, said face shield comprising a transparent visor and a U-shaped support to which said connecting members are pivotally attached rearwardly of both said snap fasteners and keyhole slots and which support covers said connecting members when said visor is in effective position.

CHARLES EVANS BOWERS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,167,969 Bowers Aug. 1, 1939 2,362,610 Bowers Nov. 14, 1944 2,402,431 Morow June 13, 1946 2,447,083 Moeller Aug. 17, 1948 

